What is the process for submitting specimens to CDC infectious diseases laboratories?

CDC accepts specimens from state public health laboratories and other federal agencies. Specimens from private healthcare providers and institutions must be submitted to the state, county, or city health department laboratory for processing.

Private citizens, health practitioners, and/or hospitals must contact their county or city health department to submit specimens. If the local health department is unable to make a determination on where and how to submit a specimen, it will forward the specimen to the state health department.

A completed Form 50.34 CDC Specimen Submission Form must be supplied with each specimen received at CDC (one specimen per form). If a submitter is sending in a large number of specimens, the submitter may work with CDC infectious diseases laboratories to submit specimens using a batch form.

CDC Resources

How can I get a copy of a birth, death, marriage or divorce certificate?

The federal government does not distribute vital records, such as birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates. To obtain a vital record, please contact the state or local vital statistics office where the event occurred.

Go to the National Center for Health Statistics’ Where to Write for Vital Records Website, then click on the state or area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred. To obtain foreign birth or death certificates and marriage records, look under “F” and click on “Foreign or high-seas events.”

If you want the CDC director to speak at your event, complete the Director Speaker Request Form. You can state in your request whether you will accept another CDC representative if the director is not able to attend.

CDC asks that you allow 6 to 8 weeks for your request to be processed. Be sure to leave enough time to make other plans in case CDC is unable to provide a speaker.

Can I interview a CDC employee for homework or a school research project?

CDC employees are not available for interviews for school research projects or homework. However, you can contact your local health department and ask to speak to someone with expertise in your research topic.

You can also visit CDC’s Media Relations Website for press releases, digital press kits, and other media information relevant to your research, some of which might contain quotable text from CDC scientists and experts.